Glenn Close, Donostia Award at the 59th edition of San Sebastian Festival

Glenn Close, one of Hollywood’s most feted actresses, will be the film personality to receive this year’s Donostia lifetime achievement award at a ceremony on September 18th at 21:30 in the Kursaal Auditorium.

In San Sebastian, the actress will introduce the European premiere (out-of-competition) of her latest film, ALBERT NOBBS. Helmed by Rodrigo García, the movie is set in 19th Century Ireland, a society dominated by men where women have no opportunities and are condemned to a life of servitude. The star of the film (Close) is a woman who disguises herself as a man to get a job in a hotel and earn the money she needs to fulfill her dream.

Based on a short story by the Irish author George Moore, the screenplay bears the signature of Glenn Close herself, alongside Gabriella Prekop and prestigious novelist John Banville, winner of the Booker Prize in 2005 and the Franz Kafka Award in 2011. Close, who also produced the film, won an Obie Award in 1982 for playing the character of Albert Nobbs in an avant-garde play adaptation of the short story by Simone Benmussa. In this very different film version, Close headlines a cast that includes Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Janet McTeer, Pauline Collins, Brenda Fricker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Brendan Gleeson.

Glenn Close has headlined the critically acclaimed original legal thriller, Damages, on FX for three seasons. The drama has moved to DirectTV for this, its fourth, season with all new episodes. For her riveting portrayal of high-stakes litigator ‘Patty Hewes’, Glenn was nominated for a 2010 Emmy Award and won two consecutive Emmys as “Best Actress in a Drama Series” for Damages’ first two seasons. For the show’s 2009 premiere season, she won a Golden Globe Award in addition to the Emmy and received a SAG nomination. She was also nominated for a 2010 Golden Globe and SAG Award. Prior to Damages, Close won rave reviews and an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Captain Monica Rawling in a season-long story arc on FX’s The Shield.

Glenn Close made her feature film debut in George Roy Hill’s The World According to Garp. Her performance in the film earned her awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review as well as her first Academy Award nomination. She was subsequently Oscar-nominated for her performances in Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill; Barry Levinson’s The Natural; Adrian Lyne’s smash Fatal Attraction; and Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons (for which she was also a BAFTA Award nominee).

She also has starred in two previous Rodrigo García’s films: Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her and Nine Lives.

Close’s ten Golden Globe Award nominations include a win for “Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture for Television” for her performance in Andrei Konchalovsky’s adaptation of The Lion in Winter (which also earned her a SAG Award). The latter is also among the television projects that have brought her twelve Emmy Award nominations, among them a win for her portrayal of real-life hero Margarethe Cammermeyer in Jeff Bleckner’s Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story, which Close executive produced. Her other notable films for television include Jack Hofsiss’ taped staging of The Elephant Man; Randa Haines’ Something About Amelia; Jack Gold’s Stones for Ibarra; Christopher Reeve’s In the Gloaming (for which she won a CableACE Award) and Richard Pearce’s musical remake of South Pacific, in which she starred and sang as Nellie Forbush, and which she executive-produced. She executive produced and starred thrice opposite Christopher Walken in the Sarah, Plain and Tall trilogy, directed, alternately, by Glenn Jordan and Joseph Sargent. She likewise executive produced and starred in The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, directed by Jeremy Kagan.

Glenn Close made her professional theater, and Broadway, debut in Harold Prince’s revival of Love for Love. Other early stage credits include Paul Giovanni’s The Crucifer of Blood and Simone Benmussa’s adaptation of The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, for which she won an Obie Award. Close’s first Tony Award nomination came for her role in Joe Layton’s musical Barnum and she subsequently won Tony Awards for her performances in The Real Thing and Death and the Maiden, both directed by Mike Nichols. For her portrayal of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard, Close won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and a Dramalogue Award. She would later reteam with the show’s director, Trevor Nunn, in London for his Royal National Theatre revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.